Peril in Paperback: A Bibliophile Mystery

smile filled with regret for the years lost and opportunities wasted. Then he walked over to Merrilee and held out his hand. “Hello there, young lady. I’m your father.”
    Merrilee’s eyes filled up with tears and she threw her arms around him. After a few seconds, she pulled back. “I always wanted a dad, but I’ll understand if that scares you. Maybe we can just start out being friends.”
    “I would like that,” Peter said, then turned to Grace.“For two smart people, you and I have been kind of dumb all these years.”
    She accepted the comment with good grace and slipped her arms around Peter and Merrilee. “Let’s try to be smarter from now on.”
    As if in agreement, Lily began to wail. Vinnie laughed, completely charmed. She picked up the baby and bounced her in her arms.
    Derek gaped at the two of them. “I saw the baby, but didn’t realize…it’s Vinnie’s?”
    “Long story,” I told him.
    As Suzie went to join Vinnie and their daughter, catching them both up in a tight hug, Derek smiled and murmured, “Can’t wait to hear it.”
    A loud banging stopped all conversations.
    “What in the world?” Grace said.
    “It’s the front door,” Merrilee whispered. “I’ll get it.”
    “We have to get that doorbell fixed,” Grace said.
    “Probably the police,” I muttered. “Just in time to spoil the party.”
    It was indeed the police, but they stayed long enough only to formally arrest Sybil and to take Marko in for questioning. It was Derek who convinced Detective Pentley that it would be better to come back the next day, when everyone was sober and able to give full statements.
    Maybe it was Derek’s British accent or the fact that he pulled the British Intelligence card, but the detectives retreated quickly with a promise to return the next day.
    “Wait just a minute,” Stephen Fowler demanded. “I refuse to stay in this hellhole one more minute. I’ll follow you back to the station and give my statement. Then I’m going home.”
    Detective Pentley watched the entire room burst into applause, which caused Fowler’s face to turn red with rage. He used every vile word in his vocabulary, damning us all to Hades before finally storming out of the room.
    “Good riddance,” Ruth said.
    Grace sighed. “I’m going to need a new lawyer.”
    The party was back in full swing shortly after that. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and I turned to Derek. “We need to talk.”
    He skimmed my hair off my cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Yes, we do.”
    I caught his hand in mine and, oh, it felt good to have him beside me again. Still, I had to ask. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Derek, but what are you doing here?”
    He gave a swift glance around the room. “I came here to save your life, as usual.”
    I stared at him, unable to look away. “You’re late.”
    His lips twisted in a half smile. “I got here as quickly as I could.”
    “But why?”
    He sighed and ran his hands up and down my arms, causing goose bumps to rise everywhere he touched.
    “I know Thomasina answered my phone when you called,” he said, watching my reaction. “She confessed to it after I had her arrested.”
    “Seems a little harsh to have her arrested just for being a snarky bitch. I mean, it’s not like she actually lied. She just made me feel like crap.”
    He smiled. “Darling, she was arrested for being in cahoots with her own stalker. They were trying to embezzle money out of her financier father.”
    “More embezzlers?” I shook my head. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
    He raised one eyebrow. “I never kid.”
    “No, you don’t,” I murmured. “But it’s still shocking.”
    “I assure you it’s true. I saw that you had called, but I thought you had merely let it ring, then hung up. I had no idea she had answered the phone and given you cause to worry.”
    “Oh, I wasn’t worried,” I said breezily. “Why would I worry?”
    “Why indeed?” He took hold of my arm and walkedme over to a bay window that looked out on the lake. “It’s beautiful here.”
    “Yes, it is,” I said lightly. “I’ve been having a marvelous time.”
    He gazed down at me. “The truth is, once I realized what Thomasina had done to you and then traced the rest of her lies, I went a little berserk. I couldn’t get home fast enough. And you weren’t there. I’d forgotten you were coming here for the week, but remembered as soon as I walked into our home and called out your name. So